document_title: Remote control

question_text: when was the first wireless tv remote invented

text: Remote control

text: History[edit]

text: In 1894, the first example of wirelessly controlling at a distance was during a demonstration by the British physicist Oliver Lodge, in which he made use of a Branly's coherer to make a mirror galvanometer move a beam of light when an electromagnetic wave was artificially generated. This was further refined by radio innovators Guglielmo Marconi and William Preece, at a demonstration that took place on December 12, 1896, at Toynbee Hall in London, in which they made a bell ring by pushing a button in a box that was not connected by any wires.[3] In 1898 Nikola Tesla filed his patent, U.S. Patent 613,809, named Method of an Apparatus for Controlling Mechanism of Moving Vehicle or Vehicles, which he publicly demonstrated by radio-controlling a boat during an electrical exhibition at Madison Square Garden. Tesla called his boat a "teleautomaton".[4]

text: In 1903, Leonardo Torres Quevedo presented the Telekino at the Paris Academy of Science, accompanied by a brief, and making an experimental demonstration. In the same time he obtained a patent in France, Spain, Great Britain, and the United States. The Telekino consisted of a robot that executed commands transmitted by electromagnetic waves. With the Telekino, Torres-Quevedo laid down modern wireless remote-control operation principles[5] and was a pioneer in the field of remote control. In 1906, in the presence of the king and before a great crowd, Torres successfully demonstrated the invention in the port of Bilbao, guiding a boat from the shore. Later, he would try to apply the Telekino to projectiles and torpedoes, but had to abandon the project for lack of financing. The first remote-controlled model aeroplane flew in 1932, and the use of remote control technology for military purposes was worked intensively during the Second World War, one result of this being the German Wasserfall missile.

text: By the late 1930s, several radio manufacturers offered remote controls for some of their higher-end models.[6] Most of these were connected to the set being controlled by wires, but the Philco Mystery Control (1939) was a battery-operated low-frequency radio transmitter,[7] thus making it the first wireless remote control for a consumer electronics device. Using pulse-count modulation, this also was the first digital wireless remote control.

text: Television remote controls[edit]

text: The first remote intended to control a television was developed by Zenith Radio Corporation in 1950. The remote, called "Lazy Bones", was connected to the television by a wire. A wireless remote control, the "Flashmatic", was developed in 1955 by Eugene Polley. It worked by shining a beam of light onto a photoelectric cell, but the cell did not distinguish between light from the remote and light from other sources. The Flashmatic also had to be pointed very precisely at the receiver in order to work.[8]

text: In 1956, Robert Adler developed "Zenith Space Command", a wireless remote.[9] It was mechanical and used ultrasound to change the channel and volume. When the user pushed a button on the remote control, it clicked and struck a bar, hence the term "clicker". Each bar emitted a different frequency and circuits in the television detected this sound. The invention of the transistor made possible cheaper electronic remotes that contained a piezoelectric crystal that was fed by an oscillating electric current at a frequency near or above the upper threshold of human hearing, though still audible to dogs. The receiver contained a microphone attached to a circuit that was tuned to the same frequency. Some problems with this method were that the receiver could be triggered accidentally by naturally occurring noises, and some people could hear the piercing ultrasonic signals.

text: The impetus for a more complex type of television remote control came in 1973, with the development of the Ceefax teletext service by the BBC. Most commercial remote controls at that time had a limited number of functions, sometimes as few as three: next channel, previous channel, and volume/off. This type of control did not meet the needs of teletext sets, where pages were identified with three-digit numbers. A remote control to select teletext pages would need buttons for each numeral from zero to nine, as well as other control functions, such as switching from text to picture, and the normal television controls of volume, channel, brightness, colour intensity, etc. Early teletext sets used wired remote controls to select pages, but the continuous use of the remote control required for teletext quickly indicated the need for a wireless device. So BBC engineers began talks with one or two television manufacturers, which led to early prototypes in around 1977–1978 that could control many more functions. ITT was one of the companies and later gave its name to the ITT protocol of infrared communication.[10]

text: In 1980, a Canadian company, Viewstar, Inc., was formed by engineer Paul Hrivnak and started producing a cable TV converter with an infrared remote control. The product was sold through Philips for approximately $190 CAD. At the time the most popular remote control was the Starcom of Jerrold (a division of General Instruments) which used 40-kHz sound to change channels. The Viewstar converter was an immediate success, the millionth converter being sold on March 21, 1985, with 1.6 million sold by 1989.[11]

text: Other remote controls[edit]

text: The Blab-off was a wired remote control created in 1952 that turned a TV's sound on or off so that viewers could avoid hearing commercials.[12] In the 1980s Steve Wozniak of Apple started a company named CL 9. The purpose of this company was to create a remote control that could operate multiple electronic devices. The CORE unit (Controller Of Remote Equipment) was introduced in the fall of 1987. The advantage to this remote controller was that it could "learn" remote signals from different devices. It had the ability to perform specific or multiple functions at various times with its built-in clock. It was the first remote control that could be linked to a computer and loaded with updated software code as needed. The CORE unit never made a huge impact on the market. It was much too cumbersome for the average user to program, but it received rave reviews from those who could.[citation needed] These obstacles eventually led to the demise of CL 9, but two of its employees continued the business under the name Celadon. This was one of the first computer-controlled learning remote controls on the market.[13]

text: In 2006, Hillcrest Labs introduced the Loop pointer, a remote control that used Hillcrest's Freespace motion control technology to allow users to control their televisions with natural gestures. The Loop had just four buttons and a scroll wheel.[14][15][16][17] Freespace-enabled remote controls use radio waves to communicate with a USB antenna connected to a computer that is also connected to the television, so they do not need to be pointed at the PC, or even have a direct line of sight.[18][19][20]

text: In the 2010s, cars are increasingly sold with electronic remote control door locks. These remotes transmit a signal to the car which locks or unlocks the door locks or unlocks the trunk. An aftermarket device sold in some countries is the remote starter. This enables a car owner to remotely start their car. This feature is most associated with countries with winter climates, where users may wish to run the car for several minutes before they intend to use it, so that the car heater and defrost systems can remove ice and snow from the windows.

text: Proliferation[edit]

text: By the early 2000s, the number of consumer electronic devices in most homes greatly increased, along with the number of remotes to control those devices. According to the Consumer Electronics Association, an average US home has four remotes.[citation needed] To operate a home theater as many as five or six remotes may be required, including one for cable or satellite receiver, VCR or digital video recorder (DVR/PVR), DVD player, TV and audio amplifier. Several of these remotes may need to be used sequentially for some programs or services to work properly. However, as there are no accepted interface guidelines, the process is increasingly cumbersome. One solution used to reduce the number of remotes that have to be used is the universal remote, a remote control which is programmed with the operation codes for most major brands of TVs, DVD players, etc. In the early 2010s, many smartphone manufacturers began incorporating infrared emitters into their devices, thereby enabling their use as universal remotes via an included or downloadable app.[21]

text: Technique[edit]

text: The main technology used in home remote controls is infrared (IR) light. The signal between a remote control handset and the device it controls consists of pulses of infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye, but can be seen through a digital camera, video camera or a phone camera. The transmitter in the remote control handset sends out a stream of pulses of infrared light when the user presses a button on the handset. A transmitter is often a light emitting diode (LED) which is built into the pointing end of the remote control handset. The infrared light pulses form a pattern unique to that button. The receiver in the device recognizes the pattern and causes the device to respond accordingly.[22]

text: Opto components, and circuits[edit]

text: Most remote controls for electronic appliances use a near infrared diode to emit a beam of light that reaches the device. A 940 nm wavelength LED is typical. This infrared light is invisible to the human eye, but picked up by sensors on the receiving device. Video cameras see the diode as if it produces visible purple light. With a single channel (single-function, one-button) remote control the presence of a carrier signal can be used to trigger a function. For multi-channel (normal multi-function) remote controls more sophisticated procedures are necessary: one consists of modulating the carrier with signals of different frequency. After the receiver demodulates the received signal, it applies the appropriate frequency filters to separate the respective signals. One can often hear the signals being modulated on the infrared carrier by operating a remote control in very close proximity to an AM radio not tuned to a station. Today, IR remote controls almost always use a pulse width modulated code, encoded and decoded by digital computer: a command from a remote control consists of a short train of pulses of carrier-present and carrier-not-present of varying widths.

text: Consumer electronics infrared protocols[edit]

text: Different manufacturers of infrared remote controls use different protocols to transmit the infrared commands. The RC-5 protocol that has its origins within Philips, uses, for instance, a total of 14 bits for each button press. The bit pattern is modulated onto a carrier frequency that, again, can be different for different manufacturers and standards, in the case of RC-5, the carrier is 36 kHz. Other consumer infrared protocols include the various versions of SIRCS used by Sony, the RC-6 from Philips, the Ruwido R-Step, and the NEC TC101 protocol.

text: Infrared, line of sight and operating angle[edit]

text: Since infrared (IR) remote controls use light, they require line of sight to operate the destination device. The signal can, however, be reflected by mirrors, just like any other light source. If operation is required where no line of sight is possible, for instance when controlling equipment in another room or installed in a cabinet, many brands of IR extenders are available for this on the market. Most of these have an IR receiver, picking up the IR signal and relaying it via radio waves to the remote part, which has an IR transmitter mimicking the original IR control. Infrared receivers also tend to have a more or less limited operating angle, which mainly depends on the optical characteristics of the phototransistor. However, it's easy to increase the operating angle using a matte transparent object in front of the receiver.

text: Radio remote control systems[edit]

text: Radio remote control (RF remote control) is used to control distant objects using a variety of radio signals transmitted by the remote control device. As a complementary method to infrared remote controls, the radio remote control is used with electric garage door or gate openers, automatic barrier systems, burglar alarms and industrial automation systems. Standards used for RF remotes are: Bluetooth AVRCP, ZigBee (RF4CE), Z-Wave. Most remote controls use their own coding, transmitting from 8 to 100 or more pulses, fixed or Rolling code, using OOK or FSK modulation. Also, transmitters or receivers can be universal, meaning they are able to work with many different codings. In this case, the transmitter is normally called a universal remote control duplicator because it is able to copy existing remote controls, while the receiver is called a universal receiver because it works with almost any remote control in the market.

text: A radio remote control system commonly has two parts: transmit and receive. The transmitter part is divided into two parts, the RF remote control and the transmitter module. This allows the transmitter module to be used as a component in a larger application. The transmitter module is small, but users must have detailed knowledge to use it; combined with the RF remote control it is much simpler to use.

text: The receiver is generally one of two types: a super-regenerative receiver or a superheterodyne. The super-regenerative receiver works like that of an intermittent oscillation detection circuit. The superheterodyne works like the one in a radio receiver. The superheterodyne receiver is used because of its stability, high sensitivity and it has relatively good anti-interference ability, a small package and lower price.

text: Usage[edit]

text: Industry[edit]

text: Remote control is used for controlling substations, pump storage power stations and HVDC-plants. For these systems often PLC-systems working in the longwave range are used.

text: Garage and gate[edit]

text: Garage and gate remote control are very common, especially in some countries such as the US, Australia, and the UK, where garage doors, gates and barriers are widely used. Such a remote is very simple by design, usually only one button, and some with more buttons to control several gates from one control. Such remotes can be divided into two categories by the encoder type used: fixed code and rolling code. If you find dip-switches in the remote, it is likely to be fixed code, an older technology which was widely used. However, fixed code has been criticized for its (lack of) security, thus rolling code has been more and more widely used in later installations.

text: Military[edit]

text: Remote controls in military usage employ jamming and countermeasures against jamming. Jammers are used to disable or sabotage the enemy's use of remote controls. The distances for military remote controls also tend to be much longer, up to intercontinental distance satellite linked remote controls used by the U.S. for their unmanned airplanes (drones) in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. Remote controls are used by insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan to attack coalition and government troops with roadside improvised explosive devices, and terrorists in Iraq are reported in the media to use modified TV remote controls to detonate bombs.[23]

text: Military history[edit]

text: In World War I, the Imperial German Navy employed FL-boats (Fernlenkboote) against coastal shipping. These were driven by internal combustion engines, and controlled remotely from a shore station through several miles of wire wound on a spool on the boat. An aircraft was used to signal directions to the shore station. EMBs carried a high explosive charge in the bow and traveled at speeds of thirty knots.[24] The Soviet Red Army used remotely controlled teletanks during the 1930s in the Winter War against Finland and the early stages of World War II. A teletank is controlled by radio from a control tank at a distance of 500 to 1,500 meters, the two constituting a telemechanical group. The Red Army fielded at least two teletank battalions at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. There were also remotely controlled cutters and experimental remotely controlled planes in the Red Army.

text: Space[edit]

text: Remote control technology is also used in space travel, for instance the Soviet Lunokhod vehicles were remote-controlled from the ground. Many space exploration rovers can be remotely controlled, though vast distance to a vehicle results in a long time delay between transmission and receipt of a command.

text: Video games[edit]

text: Video game consoles had not used wireless controllers until recently, mainly because of the difficulty involved in playing the game while keeping the infrared transmitter pointed at the console, or like the Wii whose remotes require line of sight to the infrared sensor bar.[further explanation needed] Early wireless controllers were cumbersome and when powered on alkaline batteries, lasted only a few hours before they needed replacement. Some wireless controllers were produced by third parties, in most cases using a radio link instead of infrared. Even these were very inconsistent, and in some cases, had transmission delays, making them virtually useless. Some examples include the Double Player for NES, the Master System Remote Control System and the Wireless Dual Shot for the PlayStation.

text: The first official wireless game controller made by a first party manufacturer was the CX-42 for Atari 2600. The Philips CD-i 400 series also came with a remote control, the WaveBird was also produced for the GameCube. In the seventh generation of gaming consoles, wireless controllers became standard. Some wireless controllers, such as those of the PlayStation 3, use Bluetooth. Others, like the Xbox 360, use proprietary wireless protocols.

text: PC control[edit]

text: Existing infrared remote controls can be used to control PC applications. Any application that supports shortcut keys can be controlled via IR remote controls from other home devices (TV, VCR, AC).[citation needed] This is widely used[citation needed] with multimedia applications for PC based home theatre systems. For this to work, one needs a device that decodes IR remote control data signals and a PC application that communicates to this device connected to PC. Connection can be made via serial port, USB port or motherboard IrDA connector. Such devices are commercially available but can be homemade using low-cost micro controllers.[citation needed] LIRC (Linux IR Remote control) and WinLIRC (for Windows) are software packages developed for the purpose of controlling PC using TV remote and can be also used for homebrew remote with lesser modification.

text: Photography[edit]

text: Remote controls are used in photography, in particular to take long-exposure shots. Many action cameras such as the GoPros [25] as well as standard DSLRs including Sony's Alpha series [26] incorporate Wi-Fi based remote control systems. These can often be accessed and even controlled via cell-phones and other mobile devices.[27]

text: Standby power[edit]

text: To be turned on by a wireless remote, the controlled appliance must always be partly on, consuming standby power.[28]

text: Alternatives[edit]

text: Hand-gesture recognition has been researched as an alternative to remote controls for television sets.[29]


document_title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (soundtrack)

question_text: song at the end of deathly hallows part 2

root

text: Development[edit]

text: It was confirmed on the Warner Bros. website that Part 1 composer Alexandre Desplat would return to score Part 2.[1] In an interview with Film Music Magazine, Desplat stated that scoring Part 2 is "a great challenge" and that he has "a lot of expectations to fulfill and a great deal of work" ahead of him.[2] Desplat started writing the music in early 2011 and finished recording with orchestrator Conrad Pope and the London Symphony Orchestra on 27 May 2011 at Abbey Road Studios, as stated on Pope's official Facebook page.[3] Actress Evanna Lynch confessed in 2011's LeakyCon that she was invited to the scoring sessions, when Desplat was recording the music for the Gringotts sequence.

tag: p

text: Problems playing this file? See media help.

tag: table

text: The main theme of the film, "Lily's Theme", was performed by Mai Fujisawa, daughter of Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi.[4] In the film, several tracks are re-used from previous Harry Potter films, which are not included in the released soundtrack: a variant of "Hedwig's Theme"', originally composed by John Williams, which plays during a scene in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, is used twice in Part 2. The first time is when Harry, Ron, and Hermione meet with their friends in the Room of Requirement. Critics have claimed that this has added strongly to the deep, moving feelings made and the sense of hope given to the audience. The second time is when Snape is sent out of the castle, and the Order of the Phoenix takes over control. "Dumbledore's Farewell", composed by Nicholas Hooper for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, is connected to Desplat's "Severus and Lily" track, which plays during the "Prince's Tale" sequence. A variant of Hooper's "The Kiss" from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix also makes an appearance throughout the Hogwarts viaduct scene. The final scene of Part 2, set 19 years into the lives of the trio, features "Leaving Hogwarts", composed by Williams, followed by the suite of "Hedwig's Theme" for the end credits.[5]

text: Desplat spoke of the use of Williams's theme in Part 2, saying, "Well, we all know there's one theme, which has become iconic, Hedwig's Theme from John Williams. This theme is crucial to the success of the story, and it would have been disrespectful and stupid for me not to use it at the crucial moments where we need to refer to these ten years of friendships that we've all had with these characters and kids, so 'Hedwig's Theme' does reoccur a lot more [than] in Part 1 where loss of innocence was the main theme of the film [...]"[6]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text:
Professional ratings

Review scores

Source
Rating

AllMusic

Empire

Evening Hour

Filmtracks

Movie Music UK

Soundtrack Geek

Movie Wave

text: The soundtrack received critical acclaim. Jorn Tillnes of Soundtrack Geek gave the soundtrack a 9/10 and noted, "Part 2 ends in anything but tears. It is a joy to listen to just like Part 1 and using the Hedwig's Theme by John Williams, which is the ultimate Harry Potter theme after all, is a brilliant touch."[7] Christian Clemmensen of Filmtracks gave the soundtrack an overall rating of 4/5, the music as heard on the album 3/5, and rated the score in the context of the film a 5/5, and commented, "Desplat finally proves that his style can transcend his obvious technical mastery of an orchestra and reach levels of tonal majesty that can be summed up in a single word: epic."[8]

text: Danny Graydon from Empire Online gave the soundtrack a 5/5 rating, and said "Just as John Williams created Harry Potter’s musical language, Alexandre Desplat succeeds magnificently in completing it. Desplat crafts a highly emotional thematic anchor with its strings and solo vocalist."[9] Another review came from Allmusic.com; James Christopher Monger gave the soundtrack a 3/5 and commented, "Bombastic, sinister, and triumphant, the appropriately dark and apocalyptic Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2 may sit near the bottom of the Potter soundtrack pile, but it can hardly be called a failure."[10] Later, a review came from Jonathan Broxton of Movie Music UK, who rated the score 5/5 stars, and commented, "I can’t speak highly enough of Desplat’s achievement in concluding the Harry Potter franchise the way he has..., Harry’s story was always about death, and Desplat’s decision to build his score around a musical motif representing those departed souls was a perfect one. This is one of the scores of the year."[11] Evening Hour rated the soundtrack 4.5/5, commenting, "Desplat has proved to be a formidable force in the success of the Deathly Hallows films, seamlessly blending emotional nuance with action-packed grandeur. He has, in short, created a satisfying and richly layered aural landscape that I will always love coming back to."[12]

text: Release[edit]

text: Amazon.com announced the release date for the soundtrack as 12 July 2011.[13] It was released on iTunes the same day.

text: Track listing[edit]

text: The track listing for the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 soundtrack was released on 16 June 2011. All cues are produced, conducted and composed by Alexandre Desplat.[14] Previews of the tracks were released on 23 June 2011.[15]

text:
Original track list

No.
Title
Length

1.
"Lily's Theme" (opening)
2:28

2.
"The Tunnel"
1:09

3.
"Underworld"
5:24

4.
"Gringotts"
2:24

5.
"Dragon Flight"
1:43

6.
"Neville"
1:40

7.
"A New Headmaster"
3:25

8.
"Panic Inside Hogwarts"
1:53

9.
"Statues"
2:22

10.
"The Grey Lady"
5:51

11.
"In the Chamber of Secrets"
1:37

12.
"Battlefield"
2:13

13.
"The Diadem"
3:08

14.
"Broomsticks and Fire"
1:24

15.
"Courtyard Apocalypse"
2:00

16.
"Snape's Demise"
2:51

17.
"Severus and Lily"
6:08

18.
"Harry's Sacrifice"
1:57

19.
"The Resurrection Stone"
4:32

20.
"Harry Surrenders"
1:30

21.
"Procession"
2:07

22.
"Neville the Hero"
2:17

23.
"Showdown"
3:37

24.
"Voldemort's End"
2:44

25.
"A New Beginning"
1:39

Total length:
68:26

text: Credits and personnel[edit]

text: Personnel adapted from the album liner notes.

text:
Piers Adams – recorder
John Barrett – assistant engineer
David Barron – executive producer
Jean-Pascal Beintus – orchestration
Clive Bell – shakuhachi
Paul Broucek – executive in charge of music
Peter Clarke – music editor
Paul Clarvis – ethnic percussion
Peter Cobbin – mixing, producer, recording
Charles Cole – choir master
Alexandre Desplat – composer, conductor, flute, liner notes, orchestration, percussion, piano, producer
Ninon Desplat – score coordinator
Terry Edwards – choir master
Xavier Forcioli – score coordinator
Rebecca Gilliver – cello
Mark Graham – music preparation
David Heyman – executive producer
Robert Houston – score editor
Allan Jenkins – music editor
Lewis Jones – Pro-Tools
Jill Kemp – recorder
Gabriella Kitto – soprano (vocal)
Annabel Knight – recorder
Carmine Lauri – concert master
Jakob Lindberg – theorbo
Jason Linn – executive in charge of music
London Oratory – junior choir, chorus

London Symphony Orchestra – orchestra
London Voices – choir, chorus
Mai Fujisawa - solo vocalist
Sue Mallet – music contractor
Lisa Margolis – music business affairs
Gerard McCann – producer, supervising music editor
Eoghan McNelis – soprano (vocal)
David Miller – lute, theorbo
Stuart Morton – music editor
John Parricelli – guitar
Patrick Phillips – assistant engineer
Conrad Pope – producer, supervising orchestrator
Paul Pritchard – assistant engineer
Katie Reynolds – post production supervisor
Sam Okell – mixing, recording
Schola Cantorum of the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School – choir, chorus
Nan Schwartz – orchestration
Sandeep Sriram – art direction
Alison Stephens – mandolin
Marc Stevens – music contractor
Clifford Jay Tasner – orchestration
Katie Trethewey – soprano (vocal)
David Walter – MIDI programming
Kirsty Whalley – score editor
Subodh Chikhalkar – score editor
Gaurav Nagarkatti – assistant score editor (assistant to Subodh Chikhalkar)
John Williams – original composer of Hedwig's Theme
Nicholas Hooper - original composer of the cue Dumbledore's Farewell
David Yates – executive producer, liner notes

text: Charts[edit]

text:
Charts (2011)
Peak
position

Austrian Albums Chart[16]
51

Mexican Albums Chart[17]
64

Swiss Music Charts[18]
58

US Billboard 200
25

US Top Independent Albums
4

US Top Soundtracks
2

US Digital Albums
10


document_title: African nations at the FIFA World Cup

question_text: first african team to play at the world cup

question_tokens: first african team to play at the world cup

text: African nations at the FIFA World Cup

text: Overview[edit]

text:
1930  (13)

1934  (16)

1938  (15)

1950  (13)

1954  (16)

1958  (16)

1962  (16)

1966  (16)

1970  (16)

1974  (16)

1978  (16)

1982  (24)

1986  (24)

1990  (24)

1994  (24)

1998  (32)

2002  (32)

2006  (32)

2010  (32)

2014  (32)

2018  (32)

2022  (32)

Total

Teams
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
5
5
5
6
5
5

44

Top 16
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
0

10

Top 8
—
0
0
—
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0[a]
0
1
0
0
1
0
1
0
0

3

Top 4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

Top 2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

1st

0

2nd

0

3rd

0

4th

0

text:
Country

#

Years

Best result

 Cameroon
7
1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014

QF

 Nigeria
6
1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014, 2018

R2

 Morocco
5
1970, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2018

R2

 Tunisia
5
1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018

R1

 Algeria
4
1982, 1986, 2010, 2014

R2

 Ivory Coast
3
2006, 2010, 2014

R1

 Egypt
3
1934, 1990, 2018

R1

 Ghana
3
2006, 2010, 2014

QF

 South Africa
3
1998, 2002, 2010

R1

 Senegal
2
2002, 2018

QF

 DR Congo[1]
1
1974

R1

 Angola
1
2006

R1

 Togo
1
2006

R1

text: Results[edit]

text: Team results by tournament[edit]

text:
1st — Champions
2nd — Runners-up
3rd — Third place
4th — Fourth place
QF — Quarterfinals (1934–1938, 1954–1970, and 1986–present: knockout round of 8)
R2 — Round 2 (1974–1978, second group stage, top 8; 1982: second group stage, top 12; 1986–present: knockout round of 16)
R1 — Round 1

Q — Qualified for upcoming tournament
 ••  — Qualified but withdrew
 •  — Did not qualify
 ×  — Did not enter / Withdrew / Banned
   — Hosts
    — Not affiliated in FIFA

text: The team ranking in each tournament is according to FIFA.[2] The rankings, apart from the top four positions (top two in 1930), are not a result of direct competition between the teams; instead, teams eliminated in the same round are ranked by their full results in the tournament. In recent tournaments, FIFA has used the rankings for seedings for the final tournament draw.[3]

text: For each tournament, the number of teams in each finals tournament (in brackets) are shown.

text:
Team

1930(13)

1934(16)

1938(15)

1950(13)

1954(16)

1958(16)

1962(16)

1966(16)

1970(16)

1974(16)

1978(16)

1982(24)

1986(24)

1990(24)

1994(24)

1998(32)

2002(32)

2006(32)

2010(32)

2014(32)

2018(32)

2022(32)

Total

Qual.Comp.

 Algeria

Former colony of France[4]
×
•
•
•
R113th
R122nd
•
•
•
•
•
R128th
R214th
•

4
13

 Angola

Former colony of Portugal
×
•
•
•
•
•
R123rd
•
•
•

1
9

 Cameroon

Former colony of France
×
×
•
•
•
R117th
•
QF7th
R122nd
R125th
R120th
•
R131st
R132nd
•

7
13

 DR Congo[1]

Former colony of Belgium
×
×
R116th
×
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

1
11

 Egypt

×
R113th
×
×
•
×
×
×
×
•
•
•
•
R120th
•
•
•
•
•
•
R131st

3
14

 Ghana

Former colony of the United Kingdom
×
•
×
•
•
•
×
•
•
•
•
•
R213th
QF7th
R125th
•

3
13

 Ivory Coast

Former colony of France
×
×
×
•
•
×
•
•
•
•
•
R119th
R117th
R121st
•

3
11

 Morocco

×
R114th
•
•
•
R211th
•
R123rd
R118th
•
•
•
•
•
R127th

5
14

 Nigeria

Former colony of the United Kingdom
•
×
•
•
•
•
•
•
R29th
R212th
R127th
•
R127th
R216th
R121st

6
14

 Senegal

Former colony of France
×
×
×
•
•
•
•
×
•
•
QF7th
•
•
•
R117th

2
11

 South Africa

×
×
×
×
×
×
×
×
×
×
•
R124th
R117th
•
R120th
•
•

3
7

 Togo

Former colony of France
×
×
×
•
•
•
×
×
•
•
•
R130th
•
•
•

1
10

 Tunisia

Former colony of France
•
×
•
•
R19th
•
•
•
•
R126th
R129th
R124th
•
•
R124th

5
14

text: Tournament standings[edit]

text:
Team
Champions
Finals
Semifinals
Quarterfinals
2nd Round

 Ghana

0
0
0
1
2

 Cameroon

0
0
0
1
1

 Senegal

0
0
0
1
1

 Nigeria

0
0
0
0
3

 Algeria

0
0
0
0
1

 Morocco

0
0
0
0
1

text:
Quarterfinals = knockout round of 8: 1934–1938, 1954–1970, and 1986–present; second group stage, top 8: 1974–1978
2nd Round = second group stage, top 12: 1982; knockout round of 16: 1986–present

tag: ul

text: Overall team records[edit]

text: As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws. 3 points per win, 1 point per draw and 0 points per loss.

text: Results through World Cup 2018

text:
Team

Pld

W

D

L

GF

GA

Goal +/-

Points

Topscorers

 Nigeria

21
6
3
12
23
30
-7
21
A. Musa 4

 Cameroon

23
4
7
12
18
43
-25
19
R. Milla 5

 Ghana

12
4
3
5
13
16
-3
15
A. Gyan 6

 Senegal

8
3
3
2
11
10
+1
12
P. Bouba Diop 3

 Algeria

13
3
3
7
13
19
-6
12
S. Assad 2A. Djabou 2I. Slimani 2

 Morocco

16
2
5
9
14
22
-8
11
A. Hadda 2A. Khairi 2S. Bassir 2

 Ivory Coast

9
3
1
5
13
14
-1
10
W. Bony 2A. Dindane 2D. Drogba 2Gervinho 2

 South Africa

9
2
4
3
11
16
-5
10
S. Bartlett 2B. McCarthy 2

 Tunisia

15
2
4
9
13
25
-12
10
W. Khazri 2

 Angola

3
0
2
1
1
2
-1
2
A. Flavio 1

 Egypt

7
0
2
5
5
12
-7
2
A. Fawzi 2M. Salah 2

 Togo

3
0
0
3
1
6
-5
0
M. Kader 1

 DR Congo[1]

3
0
0
3
0
14
-14
0

text: Appearances[edit]

text: Ranking of teams by number of appearances[edit]

text:
Team

Appearances

Record streak

Active streak

Debut

Most recent

Best result

 Cameroon

7
4
0
1982
2014
Quarterfinals (1990)

 Nigeria

6
3
3
1994
2018
Round 2 (1994, 1998, 2014)

 Morocco

5
2
1
1970
2018
Round 2 (1986)

 Tunisia

5
3
1
1978
2018
Round 1

 Algeria

4
2
0
1982
2014
Round 2 (2014)

 Ghana

3
3
0
2006
2014
Quarterfinals (2010)

 Ivory Coast

3
3
0
2006
2014
Round 1

 Egypt

3
1
1
1934
2018
Round 1

 South Africa

3
2
0
1998
2010
Round 1

 Senegal

2
1
1
2002
2018
Quarterfinals (2002)

 DR Congo[1]

1
1
0
1974
1974
Round 1

 Angola

1
1
0
2006
2006
Round 1

 Togo

1
1
0
2006
2006
Round 1

text: Debut of teams[edit]

text: Each successive World Cup has had at least one team appearing for the first time. This table shows the national associations in alphabetical order per year.

text:
Year

Debutants

Total

1930

0

1934

 Egypt

1

1938

0

1950

0

1954

0

1958

0

1962

0

1966

0

1970

 Morocco

1

1974

 Zaire[1]

1

1978

 Tunisia

1

1982

 Algeria,  Cameroon

2

1986

0

1990

0

1994

 Nigeria

1

1998

 South Africa

1

2002

 Senegal

1

2006

 Angola,  Ghana,  Ivory Coast,  Togo

4

2010

0

2014

0

2018

0

2022

TBD

Total

13

text: Not qualified[edit]

text: 41 of the 54 active FIFA and CAF members have never qualified for the final tournament.

text:
•  — Did not qualify
 ×  — Did not enter / Withdrew / Banned
    — Not affiliated in FIFA

text:
Country
Number of  Qualifyingattempts

1930

1934

1938

1950

1954

1958

1962

1966

1970

1974

1978

1982

1986

1990

1994

1998

2002

2006

2010

2014

2018

2022

 Zambia
13
part of the United Kingdom
×
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

 Guinea
12
part of France
×
×
×
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

 Kenya
12
part of the United Kingdom
×
×
×
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

 Ethiopia
11

×
×
•
×
•
•
•
•
•
×
•
×
•
•
×
•
•

 Sudan
11

×
×
×
×
×
•
•
×
•
•
•
×
•
•
•
•
•
•

 Burkina Faso
10
part of France

×
•
•
•
×
×
•
×
•
•
•
•
•
•

 Malawi
10
part of the United Kingdom

×
×
•
•
•
•
×
•
•
•
•
•
•

 Sierra Leone
10
part of the United Kingdom
×
×
×
•
•
•
•
×
×
•
•
•
•
•
•

 Uganda
10

×
×
×
×
•
×
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

 Zimbabwe
10

×
•
×
×
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
×

member of AFC

 Congo
9

×
×
•
•
×
×
×
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

 Liberia
9

×
×
×
×
•
•
•
×
•
•
•
•
•
•

 Madagascar
9

×
×
×
×
•
•
×
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

 Tanzania
9

×
×
•
×
•
•
×
×
•
•
•
•
•
•

 Benin
8

×
×
•
×
×
•
×
•
×
•
•
•
•
•

 Gabon
8

×
×
×
×
×
×
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

 Gambia
8

×
×
×
•
•
×
×
•
•
•
•
•
•

 Libya
8
part of Italy

×
•
×
•
×
•
×
×
×
•
•
•
•
•

 Mozambique
8
part of Portugal

•
×
×
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

 Lesotho
7

×
×
•
×
•
×
×
×
×
•
•
•
•
•

 Mauritius
7

×
×
•
×
×
•
×
×
•
•
•
•
×
•

 Namibia
7

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

 Niger
7

×
×
•
•
×
×
•
×
×
•
•
•
•

 Swaziland
7

×
×
×
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

 Botswana
6

×
×
×
•
×
•
•
•
•
•

 Guinea-Bissau
6

×
×
•
•
•
•
•
•

 Mauritania
6
part of Italy
×
×
×
×
•
×
×
×
×
•
•
•
•
×
•

 Rwanda
6

×
×
×
×
×
•
•
•
•
•
•

 Somalia
6
part of Italy & UK
×
×
×
×
×
•
×
×
×
×
•
•
•
•
•

 Burundi
5

×
×
×
×
×
•
×
×
•
•
•
•

 Cape Verde
5

×
×
×
×
•
•
•
•
•

 Chad
5

×
×
×
•
•
•
•
•

 Equatorial Guinea
5

×
×
×
•
•
•
•
•

 Mali
5

×
×
×
×
×
×
×
×
×
•
•
•
•
•

 Seychelles
5

×
×
×
•
•
•
•
•

 Djibouti
4
part of France

×
•
×
•
•
•

 Eritrea
4
part of Ethiopia

•
•
×
•
•

 São Tomé and Príncipe
4

×
×
×
•
•
×
•
•

 Comoros
3
part of France

×
•
•
•

 Central African Republic
2

×
×
×
×
×
×
×
×
×
×
×
×
•
•

 South Sudan
1
part of Sudan
×
•

text: Summary of performance[edit]

text:
Year
Host
Size
#E
#A
#A-
Africanfinalists
#WCQ
Stage
Results
Coach

1930
Uruguay
13
13
0
0
-

1934
Italy
16
32
1
0
 Egypt
2
R1
lost 2–4  Hungary
 James McRea

1938
France
15
37
1
1[5]
-

1950
Brazil
13
34
0
0
-

1954
Switzerland
16
45
1
0
-

1958
Sweden
16
56
3
3[6]
-

1962
Chile
16
56
7
2[7]
-

1966
England
16
74
17
17[8]
Boycott

1970
Mexico
16
75
14
2[9]
 Morocco
10
R1
lost 1–2  West Germany, lost 0–3  Peru, drew 1–1  Bulgaria
 Blagoje Vidinić

1974
West Germany
16
99
24
2[10]
 Zaire
10
R1
lost 0–2  Scotland, lost 0–9  Yugoslavia, lost 0–3  Brazil
 Blagoje Vidinić

1978
Argentina
16
107
26
4[11]
 Tunisia
10
R1
won 3–1  Mexico, lost 0–1  Poland, drew 0–0  West Germany
Abdelmajid Chetali

1982
Spain
24
109
29
4[12]
 Algeria
8
R1
won 2–1  West Germany, lost 0–2  Austria, won 3–2  Chile
 Mahieddine Khalef Rachid Mekhloufi

 Cameroon
8
R1
drew 0–0  Peru, drew 0–0  Poland, drew 1–1  Italy
Jean Vincent

1986
Mexico
24
121
29
3[13]
 Algeria
6
R1
drew 1–1  Northern Ireland, lost 0–1  Brazil, lost 0–3  Spain
 Rabah Saâdane

 Morocco
8
R2
drew 0–0  Poland, drew 0–0  England, win 3–1  Portugal R2: lost 0–1  West Germany
José Faria

1990
Italy
24
116
26
5[14]
 Cameroon
8
QF
won 1–0  Argentina, won 2–1  Romania, lost 0–4  Soviet Union R2: won 2–1  Colombia, QF: lost 2–3 (a.e.t.)  England
 Valeri Nepomniachi

 Egypt
8
R1
drew 1–1  Netherlands, drew 0–0  Republic of Ireland, lost 0–1  England
 Mahmoud El-Gohary

1994
U.S.
24
147
40
12[15]
 Cameroon
8
R1
drew 2–2  Sweden, lost 0–3  Brazil, lost 1–6  Russia
 Henri Michel

 Morocco
10
R1
lost 0–1  Belgium, lost 1–2  Saudi Arabia, lost 1–2  Netherlands
 Abdellah Blinda

 Nigeria
8
R2
won 3–0  Bulgaria, lost 1–2  Argentina, won 2–0  Greece  R2: lost 1–2 (a.e.t.)  Italy
 Clemens Westerhof

1998
France
32
174
38
3[16]
 Cameroon
6
R1
drew 1–1  Austria, lost 0–3  Italy, drew 1–1  Chile
 Claude Le Roy

 Morocco
6
R1
drew 2–2  Norway, lost 0–3  Brazil, won 3–0  Scotland
 Henri Michel

 Nigeria
6
R2
won 3–2  Spain, won 1–0  Bulgaria, lost 1–3  Paraguay  R2: lost 1–4  Denmark
 Bora Milutinovic

 South Africa
8
R1
lost 0–3  France, drew 1–1  Denmark, drew 2–2  Saudi Arabia
 Philippe Troussier

 Tunisia
8
R1
lost 0–2  England, lost 0–1  Colombia, drew 1–1  Romania
 Henryk Kasperczak

2002
South Koreaand Japan
32
199
51
2[17]
 Cameroon
10
R1
drew 1–1  Republic of Ireland, won 1–0  Saudi Arabia, lost 0–2  Germany
 Winfried Schäfer

 Nigeria
10
R1
lost 0–1  Argentina, lost 1–2  Sweden, drew 0–0  England
 Festus Onigbinde

 South Africa
8
R1
drew 2–2  Paraguay, won 1–0  Slovenia, lost 2–3  Spain
 Jomo Sono

 Senegal
10
QF
won 1–0  France, drew 1–1  Denmark, drew 3–3  Uruguay R2: won 2–1 (a.e.t.)  Sweden, QF: lost 0–1 (a.e.t.)  Turkey
 Bruno Metsu

 Tunisia
10
R1
lost 0–2  Russia, drew 1–1  Belgium, lost 0–2  Japan
 Ammar Souayah

2006
Germany
32
197
51
1[18]
 Angola
12
R1
lost 0–1  Portugal, drew 0–0  Mexico, drew 1–1  Iran
 Luís Oliveira Gonçalves

 Ivory Coast
10
R1
lost 1–2  Argentina, lost 1–2  Netherlands, won 3–2  Serbia and Montenegro
 Henri Michel

 Ghana
12
R2
lost 0–2  Italy, won 2–0  Czech Republic, won 2–1  United StatesR2: lost 0–3  Brazil
 Ratomir Dujković

 Togo
12
R1
lost 1–2  South Korea, lost 0–2   Switzerland, lost 0–2  France
 Otto Pfister

 Tunisia
10
R1
drew 2–2  Saudi Arabia, lost 1–3  Spain, lost 0–1  Ukraine
 Roger Lemerre

2010
South Africa
32
204
53
4[19]
 Algeria
13
R1
lost 0–1  Slovenia, drew 0–0  England, lost 0–1  United States
 Rabah Saâdane

 Cameroon
12
R1
lost 0–1  Japan, lost 1–2  Denmark, lost 1–2  Netherlands
 Paul Le Guen

 Ivory Coast
12
R1
drew 0–0  Portugal, lost 1–3  Brazil, won 3–0  North Korea
 Sven-Göran Eriksson

 Ghana
12
QF
won 1–0  Serbia, drew 1–1  Australia, lost 0–1  GermanyR2: won 2–1 (a.e.t.)  United States, QF: drew 1–1 (2–4 p.s.o.)  Uruguay
 Milovan Rajevac

 Nigeria
12
R1
lost 0–1  Argentina, lost 1–2  Greece, drew 2–2  South Korea
 Lars Lagerbäck

 South Africa
host
R1
drew 1–1  Mexico, lost 0–3  Uruguay, won 2–1  France
 Carlos Alberto Parreira

2014
Brazil
32
203
53
1[20]

 Algeria
8
R2
lost 1–2  Belgium, won 4–2  South Korea, drew 1–1  RussiaR2: lost 1–2 (a.e.t.)  Germany
 Vahid Halilhodžić

 Cameroon
8
R1
lost 0–1  Mexico, lost 0–4  Croatia, lost 1–4  Brazil
 Volker Finke

 Ivory Coast
8
R1
won 2–1  Japan, lost 1–2  Colombia, lost 1–2  Greece
 Sabri Lamouchi

 Ghana
8
R1
lost 1–2  United States, drew 2–2  Germany, lost 1–2  Portugal
 James Kwesi Appiah

 Nigeria
8
R2
drew 0–0  Iran, won 1–0  Bosnia and Herzegovina, lost 2–3  ArgentinaR2: lost 0–2  France
 Stephen Keshi

2018
Russia
32
210
54
1[21]

 Egypt
8
R1
lost 0–1  Uruguay, lost 1–3  Russia, lost 1–2  Saudi Arabia
 Héctor Cúper

 Morocco
8
R1
lost 0–1  Iran, lost 0–1  Portugal, drew 2–2  Spain
 Hervé Renard

 Nigeria
8
R1
lost 0–2  Croatia, won 2–0  Iceland, lost 1–2  Argentina
 Gernot Rohr

 Senegal
8
R1
won 2–1  Poland, drew 2–2  Japan, lost 0–1  Colombia
 Aliou Cissé

 Tunisia
8
R1
lost 1–2  England, lost 2–5  Belgium, won 2–1  Panama
 Nabil Maâloul

text: Performance at individual World Cups[edit]

text: 1930s: Egypt's early appearance[edit]

text: The inaugural 1930 FIFA World Cup was the only one without any qualification process. No African teams entered.

text:
The Pharaohs of Egypt were the only African team to apply to feature at the 1934 FIFA World Cup. As there were 32 countries competing for 16 places, FIFA organized the first qualification round. Egypt was placed in a group with Turkey and Palestine,[22] then a British mandate. Turkey withdrew, and Egypt beat Palestine 7–1 in Cairo and 4–1 in Jerusalem to qualify for the World Cup finals.
The 1934 FIFA World Cup finals was organized as a straight knock-out. Egypt lost 2–4 to Hungary in Naples[23] with Abdulrahman Fawzi scoring twice to become the first African to score at the World Cup finals. However, a third goal by Fawzi was ruled offside by the Italian referee despite the player having dribbled from the middle of the pitch, and the fourth Hungarian goal involved a scuffle where the Hungarian striker broke the Egyptian goalkeeper's nose with his elbow. The Italian newspapers heavily criticized their referee, but Egypt sailed home and only returned to the World Cup finals 56 years later.[24]

text: 1938–1966: World Cup without Africa[edit]

text: Egypt was the only African country to apply to compete at the 1938 FIFA World Cup, but withdrew before playing any matches.

text: No African countries applied to compete at the 1950 FIFA World Cup.

text: Egypt was the only African country to apply to compete at the 1954 World Cup. They were placed in a two-team group with Italy, but lost 1–2 in Cairo and 1–5 in Milan, and thus did not qualify for the World Cup.

text: Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan all applied to enter the qualification process for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but Ethiopia's entry was rejected by FIFA.

text: Egypt and Sudan competed in an Africa/Asia zone with ten Asian countries for one spot at the World Cup. Egypt progressed to the next round after Cyprus withdrew, but then itself withdrew. Sudan defeated Syria 2–1 on aggregate but eventually withdrew in protest at having to play Israel. (Eventually, the spot originally reserved for Africa and Asia was taken by Wales.[25])

text: Seven African countries entered the qualification process for the 1962 FIFA World Cup : Ghana, United Arab Republic (a joint football association by Egypt and Syria, who were politically united between 1958 and 1961), Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, Sudan and Tunisia. Ethiopia entered through the UEFA qualification process, where it was eliminated by Israel, while the rest entered through the CAF qualification process. Both Sudan and U.A.R. withdrew as FIFA would not allow them to rearrange matches to avoid the monsoon season, so the four teams formed two two-team groups. In the first group, Morocco and Tunisia both beat each other 2–1 at home, and then played a third match at a neutral location (Palermo, Italy) which ended in a 1–1 draw after extra time. Since penalty shootouts were not used by FIFA till the 1970s, Morocco advanced by drawing lots[26] to eliminate Tunisia. Morocco then eliminated Ghana with a draw and a win to proceed to a UEFA/CAF playoff with Spain. They lost both legs of this playoff, meaning that no African nation made it to the World Cup finals for the fifth time in a row.

text: Seventeen African countries entered the qualification process for the 1966 FIFA World Cup : Algeria, Cameroon, French Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, and Tunisia. FIFA rejected the application of French Congo, and had already suspended South Africa for apartheid, resulting in their disqualification.

text: FIFA's allocation of only one place to three continents (Africa, Asia, Oceania) was subject to significant criticism, especially given the large increase in applications from newly independent African countries. After FIFA confirmed the allocation, the remaining fifteen African nations withdrew in protest.[27]

text: 1970: Morocco returns Africa to the World Cup[edit]

text: Fourteen African countries entered the qualification process for the 1970 World Cup : Algeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rhodesia, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia, Zaire, and Zambia. FIFA rejected the applications of Guinea and Zaire. The Atlas Lions of Morocco played ten matches to qualify for the single CAF spot at the World Cup, advancing along the way past Tunisia by virtue of a coin toss.[26]

text: Rhodesia, having been expelled from CAF for having a white minority government, entered through the Asia/Oceania qualifying group, where they had to play against Australia in Portuguese-held Mozambique (there was a boycott against playing matches in Rhodesia). The first two matches were drawn, thanks in large part to the excellent Rhodesian goalkeeper Robin Jordan,[28] and the desperate Australians hired a Mozambican sangoma to 'curse' him. In the third match, Jordan was taken off injured after a collision with another player, Australia won 3–1, then refused to pay the sangoma, got 'cursed' by the irate man, and were eliminated two weeks later by Israel.[29] Meanwhile, Rhodesia's CAF expulsion was soon followed by a FIFA expulsion, with Zimbabwe readmitted in 1980.

text: At the 1970 World Cup, Morocco was placed in Group 4 along with West Germany, Peru, and Bulgaria. They lost 1–2 to eventual semi-finalists West Germany, lost 0–3 to Peru, and drew 1–1 with Bulgaria. The two goalscorers were Houmane Jarir (against West Germany) and Maouhoub Ghazouani (against Bulgaria), who were thus the second and third ever African goalscorers at the World Cup. Morocco finished bottom of the group, on goal difference, with one point – the first African point in the World Cup.

text: 1974: Zaire makes an impression[edit]

text: 24 African countries entered the qualification process for the 1974 FIFA World Cup, with the Leopards of Zaire eventually qualifying quite comfortably, scoring 18 goals and conceding 5 in the ten matches they played to qualify.[30]

text: At the 1974 FIFA World Cup, Zaire were placed in Group 2 along with Scotland, Yugoslavia (home of Zaire coach and 1970 Morocco coach Blagoje Vidinić), and Brazil. In their first match against Scotland, they impressed with their fast attacking style, and lost just 0–2. Scottish centre-half Jim Holton said after the match "Let's face it, we underestimated them. For fifteen minutes I wondered what the hell was going on, where the devil had this lot come from, playing stuff like that!"[31]

text: The next opponents Yugoslavia had noted holes in the Zairean defence, and fully exploited them to hammer Zaire 9–0 in a then record win for World Cup finals, with all but three of their outfield players getting on the scoresheet.[32] Zaire striker Mulamba Ndaye, who was sent off for protesting that a goal by the Yugoslavians was offside, said after the match, "The management had made off with our match bonuses, and we'd threatened not to play the game. Frankly we'd lost our morale. We could easily have let in 20 goals."

text: After the defeat, the Zairean team were told by the country's dictator Mobutu Sese Seko – who had rewarded the players for qualifying with a house and a car each – not to come home if defending champions Brazil beat them 4–0 or worse.[33] Zaire managed to keep Brazil to merely a 0–3 defeat with Zairean defender Mwepu Ilunga receiving a yellow card for interfering with a free kick.[34] Zaire left the tournament without scoring a goal.

text: 1978: Tunisia becomes first African team to win at the World Cup[edit]

text: 26 African countries entered the qualification process for 1 spot at the 1978 FIFA World Cup. In comparison, 22 Asia/Oceania countries also competed for 1 spot, while 31 European countries competed for 8.5 spots. Les Aigles de Carthage (The Carthage Eagles) of Tunisia eventually qualified, along the way eliminating Morocco in the first ever penalty shootout in World Cup qualification history.[27] This was a major change for Tunisia, who had been eliminated by Morocco quite literally by chance on three previous occasions[26] in the 1960s.

text: Tunisia were placed in Group 2 with West Germany, Poland, and Mexico. After Zaire's fate in 1974, they were not expected to do well. They were 0–1 down to Mexico at half-time when their Tunisian coach Abdelmajid Chetali told them that they treated their opponents with too much respect, and that they could still win the game if they tackled hard and imposed their belief and self-confidence.[35] Buoyed by the pep talk, the North Africans scored thrice in the second half to win 3–1 and become the first African team to win a match at the World Cup. They lost their next match to Poland 1–0, missing several chances, and held West Germany to a goalless draw. While this was not enough to progress to the next round, African football pride had been restored.

text: 1982: Algeria wins twice but eliminated[edit]

text: This was the first World Cup with 24 teams, and Africa's representation was doubled. So 29 African countries competed for 2 spots in World Cup qualification. In comparison, 21 Asian nations also competed for 2 spots, but 33 European nations competed for 13 spots. 1978 finalists Tunisia were eliminated in the first round by Nigeria on penalties. Four series of knockout rounds were played, with the final two spots going down to Nigeria vs Algeria, and Morocco vs Cameroon. Both Les Fennecs (The Desert Foxes) of Algeria and Les Lions Indomptables (The Indomitable Lions) of Cameroon won 2–0 away and 2–1 at home and qualified for the World Cup for the first time.

text: Cameroon were placed in Group 1, where they surprised everyone by remaining undefeated. They drew 0–0 with Peru, 0–0 with Poland, and 1–1 with Italy. Grégoire Mbida scored Cameroon's first World Cup finals goal. Italy had also drawn its three matches, so also had a goal difference of 0, but had scored two goals to Cameroon's one, so Cameroon were eliminated. This was especially painful because in their opening match against Peru, Cameroon striker Roger Milla had a goal wrongly disallowed for offside.

text: Algeria were placed in Group 2 with West Germany, Austria, and Chile. The Africans produced a major upset in the first match, beating West Germany 2–1 with goals by Rabah Madjer and Lakhdar Belloumi. They lost their second match 0–2 to Austria, then produced another surprise by beating Chile 3–2. The day after the Algeria vs Chile match, West Germany and Austria played the final group match in Gijón knowing that a 1–0 or 2–0 win for West Germany would result in both European teams qualifying at the expense of Algeria on goal difference. West Germany scored after ten minutes, and then both teams appeared to pass the ball aimlessly around for the remaining 80 minutes.

text: This performance was widely deplored by all observers. The Spanish crowd shouted, "Fuera, fuera!" ("Out, out!") while angry Algerian supporters waved banknotes at the players to suggest that the game was fixed. Even the two sides' fans were disgusted, with an Austrian television commentator advising viewers to turn off their TV sets, a German television commentator refusing to commentate further, and a German fan burning his national flag in protest. Furious Algerian football officials lodged an official protest, but the two teams denied any collusion. As nothing could be proved and the two teams had technically broken no rules, FIFA allowed the result to stand. FIFA did change the rules – in future World Cups, the final two games in each group are played simultaneously.[36] Thus Algeria were eliminated from the 1982 FIFA World Cup at the first hurdle despite two wins.

text: 1986: Morocco becomes first African team into the Round of 16[edit]

text: As with 1982, 29 African countries entered the qualification process for two spots at the World Cup. There were four series of knockout rounds, with four Mediterranean countries making the final round. Algeria beat neighbours Tunisia 7–1 on aggregate and becomes the first African team to qualify consecutively for the second time to World Cup. Morocco beat Libya 3–1 on aggregate and also qualified for their second World Cup.

text: Algeria were placed in Group D with Brazil, Spain, and Northern Ireland. They did not reach the heights of its previous finals appearance, drawing 1–1 with Northern Ireland, losing 0–1 to Brazil, and losing 0–3 to Spain.

text: Morocco shocked both Poland and England with goalless draws, and then defeated Portugal 3–1 to become the first African team to progress beyond the first round. In the second round, they faced a West German side that had seven survivors from the Shame of Gijón match.[37][38] Goalkeeper Badou Zaki kept Morocco in the game with a series of excellent saves, but was finally beaten in the 87th minute by Disgrace of Gijón substitute Lothar Matthäus. West Germany won 1–0 and went on to reach their second successive final.

text: 1990: Cameroon's Indomitable Lions reach the Quarter Finals[edit]

text: 26 African countries entered the qualification process for 2 spots at the 1990 FIFA World Cup. This was the first time African qualification moved from a mostly straight home-away knockout format to include group stages early on. Finally it came down to four teams playing in two playoffs for the final: Algeria vs Egypt and Tunisia vs Cameroon. Cameroon beat Tunisia 2–0 at home and 1–0 away, and qualified for their second World Cup. However, the playoff between the two North African sides was significantly more ill-tempered.

text: After a goalless draw in Constantine, Egypt beat Algeria 1–0 in Cairo to qualify for the World Cup. After the Cairo match, an Algerian player gouged out an Egyptian team doctor's eye with a broken bottle. The player blamed, Lakhdar Belloumi (who scored the winning goal in Algeria's 2–1 defeat of West Germany in 1982[39]), was not allowed to travel outside Algeria owing to an Interpol international arrest warrant for twenty years till the (financially compensated) Egyptian doctor dropped the charges in 2009.[40] Belloumi always claimed innocence in the incident, with him and other players pointing the finger at Algerian goalkeeper Kamel Kadri instead.[41]

text: There was tragedy during the second round Group C match between Nigeria and Angola on 12 August 1989 at the Lagos National Stadium when 24-year-old Nigerian midfielder (and qualified lawyer) Samuel Okwaraji collapsed and died of congestive heart failure in the 77th minute.[42][43]

text: Egypt were placed in Group F with England, Netherlands, and Ireland. It turned out to be one of the tightest groups in World Cup history, with five draws in six games. Egypt drew 1–1 with the Netherlands, drew 0–0 with Ireland, but lost their final match 0–1 to England. Egypt's only goal of the tournament was a penalty by Magdi Abdelghani against the Netherlands. Egypt were thus eliminated from World Cup, still without a win after losing their only match in 1930.

text: Cameroon were undoubtedly the surprise package of the tournament. In their first match, they shocked Diego Maradona's defending champions Argentina 1–0 through a goal by François Omam-Biyik, despite finishing their match with nine men. In their next match, they defeated Romania 2–1 thanks to two goals from 38-year-old substitute Roger Milla. These were Milla's first official goals in the World Cup; he had had a goal against Peru wrongly disallowed for offside during the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Having already qualified for the next round, Cameroon then suffered their first loss (after three draws and two wins) in World Cup history, losing 0–4 to the already eliminated Soviet Union. In the second round, Cameroon defeated Colombia 2–1, with Milla again coming on as a second-half substitute to score twice, famously dispossessing Colombian goalkeeper René Higuita for one of them. By this time, Roger Milla, his post-goal celebrations, and Cameroon had firmly implanted themselves in the global footballing consciousness. In the quarter finals, they were seven minutes from qualifying for the semi-finals when England were awarded a penalty. England won the match 3–2 after extra time, with three of the five goals coming from penalties (1 for Cameroon, 2 for England).

text: 1994: Zambian air tragedy, Nigeria reaches Round of 16[edit]

text: 40 African countries entered the qualification process for 3 spots at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The extra spot was awarded after the strong performances of Cameroon and Egypt at Italia 90. However, only 28 played all their matches after FIFA rejected Libya (due to UN sanctions) and 11 other nations withdrew at various stages. There was a new qualification format, with two group stages. The big casualty of the first stage was 1990 finalists Egypt, as crowd trouble in Cairo turned a 2–1 home victory over Zimbabwe into a crucial 0–0 draw when FIFA ordered the match replayed at a neutral location.

text: In the new second stage of qualification were three groups of three, with winners qualifying for the World Cup. The Super Eagles of Nigeria won Group A on goal difference, beating both Côte d'Ivoire and Algeria 4–1 in Lagos. In Group C, Cameroon won the group with 3 wins and a loss away to second placed Zimbabwe, with Guinea coming third.

text: In Group B were Morocco, Senegal, and Zambia. In the first match, Morocco beat Senegal 1–0. In the second match, Zambia were to face Senegal in Dakar. However, the plane carrying the Zambian team crashed en route on 28 April 1993. The crash, attributed to mechanical problems and pilot error, killed all thirty people on board, including nearly the entire football team – 18 players – and coaches, support staff, and plane crew. (The Zambian government had yet to release a report on the investigation of the crash of the military plane even ten years later.[44][45]) Only two European-based players from the original squad missed the flight – Charles Musonda of Anderlecht, who was injured, and captain Kalusha Bwalya,[46] who was flying in from Europe where he played with PSV Eindhoven. All matches in the group were postponed for a month. Zambia hastily put together a new team, captained by Bwalya, and defeated Morocco 2–1 in Lusaka in the first match with the new team with goals from Kalusha Bwalya and Johnson Bwalya (not related). However, they lost their final group match 0–1 to Morocco in Casablanca and Morocco won Group B by one point. Amazingly, the rebuilt Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets) also went on to reach the finals of the 1994 African Cup of Nations.

text: At the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals in the U.S., Cameroon drew their first game in Group B with eventual semi-finalists Sweden 2–2 and lost their second to eventual winners Brazil 0–3. They were 0–3 down to Russia in their third match when half-time substitute Roger Milla scored in the 46th minute (becoming at 42 the oldest man ever to score at the World Cup finals) and sparked brief hopes of a miracle comeback. However, the final score was a 1–6 loss to Russia, with Oleg Salenko netting a record-breaking five goals in vain. In Group F, Morocco lost its three matches by a goal each, 0–1 to Belgium, 1–2 to Saudi Arabia, and 1–2 to the Netherlands.

text: In Group D, Nigeria thumped eventual semi-finalists Bulgaria 3–0, then fell to a 1–2 loss to Argentina before beating Greece 2–0. Nigeria, Bulgaria, and Argentina all finished on six points and qualified for the second round. In the second round, Nigeria faced Italy. Emmanuel Amuneke scored in the 25th minute, leaving Nigeria with a 1–0 lead two minutes from the next round when Roberto Baggio scored in the 88th minute. Baggio scored again in extra time to send Nigeria home.

text: This was the third successive World Cup where an African team progressed beyond the first stage, after Morocco in 1986 and Cameroon in 1990. This was a major factor in FIFA increasing Africa's allocation from 3 to 5 spots as the World Cup expanded from 24 to 32 four years later.

text: 1998: Nigeria reaches the Round of 16 again[edit]

text: 38 African countries entered the qualification process for 5 spots at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the two new spots resulting from the tournament's expansion from 24 to 32 teams. This was the first time that three points, instead of two, were awarded for a win. Burundi won both their first round qualification matches but then had to withdraw due to civil war. Sierra Leone, who they had just eliminated, took their place in the second round, and then became the first nation in World Cup qualifying history to be eliminated twice in the same qualifying campaign.[27] Eventually, Cameroon, Morocco, Nigeria, and Tunisia qualified for the World Cup finals along with newcomers Bafana Bafana of South Africa, who had only been readmitted to FIFA in 1992.

text: The five African teams all took European coaches (three Frenchmen, one Serb, one Pole) to the finals, making it the first time since 1974 that there was no African coach at the World Cup.[47]

text: In Group A, Morocco drew their first match 2–2 with Norway and then lost 0–3 to Brazil. The last two matches in the group were played simultaneously (as they had after the Disgrace of Gijón in 1982) – with ten minutes left, Morocco were leading Scotland 2–0 while Brazil led Norway 1–0. But Norway scored twice in the 83rd and 88th minutes to beat Brazil 2–1.[48] Morocco also scored once more to beat Scotland 3–0, but went home.

text: In Group B, Cameroon drew their first match 1–1 with Austria (the Austrians equalizing in the 90th minute) but then lost 0–3 to Italy. Cameroon could have progressed if they won their final group match against Chile, but they drew 1–1 and went home. During the final match, Cameroon's Rigobert Song became the first man to pick up red cards at two World Cups – he was sent off as a 17-year-old against Brazil in 1994. (The second man to be red carded at two World Cups would be Zinedine Zidane eight years later.)

text: In Group C, South Africa began their debut World Cup finals campaign with a 0–3 loss to hosts and eventual champions France. They then drew 1–1 with Denmark, Benni McCarthy scoring their first World Cup finals goal. They needed to win big in their final match against Saudi Arabia but could only manage a 2–2 draw, giving away two penalties and only managing to equalize late into injury time with their own penalty, taken by brace-scorer Shaun Bartlett.

text: In Group D, Nigeria opened with a 3–2 win over fancied Spain and another 1–0 win over Bulgaria. Having qualified for the next stage, they then lost 1–3 to Paraguay. Both Nigeria and Paraguay qualified for the next stage, with Spain losing out despite thumping Bulgaria 6–1. However, in the Round of 16, Nigeria were beaten 1–4 by Denmark. All Nigeria's six goals in the tournament came from six different players.[49]

text: In Group G, Tunisia lost their first two matches 0–2 to England and 0–1 to Colombia. They then managed to draw 1–1 with Romania, who had won their first two matches and topped the group. Thus Tunisia's second appearance at the World Cup (after 1978) ended in them scoring only one goal, a penalty.

text: Thus only 2 of Africa's 5 representatives came away with at least one win. However, there was an African representative in the second round for the fourth time in succession.

text: 2002: Senegal reaches the quarter finals[edit]

text: 51 African countries entered the qualification process for five spots at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Four of the five 1998 finalists again made it through, with Les Lions de la Teranga (Teranga Lions[50]) of Senegal replacing Morocco. Senegal and Morocco topped the same qualification group each with four wins, three draws, and a loss, but Senegal had a seven-goal superior goal difference thanks to their 9–0 aggregate thrashings of group minnows Namibia. In contrast, the Namibians had managed to hold Morocco to a goalless draw in Windhoek.

text: Like Cameroon 12 years earlier, Senegal started with a shock 1–0 win over the defending champions and went on to reach the quarter finals. In Group A, after beating France 1–0 with a goal from Papa Bouba Diop, they drew 1–1 with eventual group winners Denmark. In their final match against Uruguay, they were leading 3–0 at half-time. In the second half, the South Americans – for whom a win would have them progress at Senegal's expense – scored twice, and then a third time with an 88th-minute penalty kick. Senegal survived the frenetic final minutes of the game to hang on to a 3–3 result. Thus Denmark and Senegal progressed to the next round while former champions Uruguay and France went home. In the Round of 16, a golden goal in extra time (to add to his 37th-minute strike) from Henri Camara took Senegal 2–1 past Sweden after extra time. But in the quarter-finals against Turkey, they were eliminated by a golden goal four minutes into extra time.

text: In Group B, South Africa drew 2–2 with Paraguay with an injury time penalty, then scored their first ever World Cup win by beating Slovenia 1–0. However a 2–3 loss to Spain then sent South Africa home. In Group E, Cameroon drew 1–1 with Republic of Ireland, beat Saudi Arabia 1–0, and then lost 0–2 to Germany. In Group F, Nigeria lost 0–1 to Argentina, lost 1–2 to Sweden, and having been eliminated, held England to a 0–0 draw. In Group H, Tunisia lost 0–2 to Russia, drew 1–1 with Belgium, and lost 0–2 to co-hosts Japan.

text: Of Africa's five representatives, three won at least once, but only one progressed beyond the first round. Still, Senegal's surprise run made it the fifth successive time an African nation had made it to the Round of 16, and the second time an African country had reached the quarter finals. Three of the five African nations (South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia) took a local coach to the World Cup; only one of those three scored a win.

text: 2006: Ghana reaches the Round of 16[edit]

text:
51 African countries entered the race for 5 spots at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in a qualification process that doubled as one for the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations. In the final qualification round, teams were organized into five groups of six teams, with winners qualifying for the World Cup and the top three for the continental tournament. More matches were needed to qualify – while at both the 1998 and 2002 32-team World Cups, 3 of the 5 African teams played only 6 matches to get to the finals, here 3 of the 5 teams that qualified played 12 matches.
Four of Africa's five representatives to the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals were debutants, in contrast to 2002 when four of five had appeared at the previous World Cup.

text: In Group 1, Togo beat 2002 World Cup quarterfinalists Senegal by two points. The Black Stars of Ghana won Group 2 by five points while in Group 3, Les Éléphants of Côte d'Ivoire lost both its matches to Cameroon but won the group since Cameroon drew too often. In Group 5, Tunisia won the group one point ahead of 1998 finalists and perennial rivals Morocco. Although Morocco was the only African team (of those who played a match) to remain undefeated, it drew half its matches. In Group 4, Angola and Nigeria both finished with 21 points after 10 matches, with Nigeria having a far superior goal difference thanks largely to scoring five goals against both Algeria and 3rd placed Zimbabwe in their last two matches. However, it had already been decided that head to head results were to be used to break such ties in 2006 World Cup Qualification before goal difference. The Palancas Negras (Black Antelopes) of Angola, having beaten Nigeria 2–1 on aggregate, qualified for the World Cup.

text: At the World Cup Finals, Côte d'Ivoire lost its first two Group C matches 1–2 to Argentina and 1–2 to the Netherlands before coming back from 0–2 down to beat Serbia and Montenegro 3–2. In Group D, Angola – the only African team at the finals with a local coach (Luís Oliveira Gonçalves) – lost their first match 0–1 to Portugal, then drew 0–0 with Mexico and 1–1 with Iran. In Group G, Togo made more news off the pitch with disputes over team bonuses causing coach Otto Pfister to walk out on the team until just before the first match and FIFA officials having to step in to stop players threatening to boycott the second match.[51] Togo lost 1–2 to South Korea, lost 0–2 to Switzerland, and 0–2 to eventual finalists France. In Group H, Tunisia drew 2–2 with Saudi Arabia, lost 1–3 to Spain (including an injury time penalty from Fernando Torres), and 0–1 to Ukraine.

text: In Group E, Ghana began with up a 0–2 loss to eventual winners Italy with a 2–0 win over the Czech Republic and a 2–1 win over the U.S.. Thus the debutants ensured an African representative in the Round of 16 for the sixth successive World Cup. They lost 0–3 to Brazil in the Round of 16. The match was later alleged to have been fixed,[52] charges immediately denied by the Ghana Football Association.[53]

text: While for the sixth successive time there was an African team in the Round of 16, Africa remained the only continent (other than Oceania) to never have two teams reach the Round of 16 at the same World Cup.

text: 2010: Ghana gets to Quarter Final[edit]

text: The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the first time the World Cup was staged in Africa, with South Africa being the hosts. Their national team became the first World Cup hosts to get knocked out in the first round. Nigeria, Algeria, Ivory Coast and Cameroon also exited the tournament after the Group stages

text: However, Ghana progressed beyond the group stages of the FIFA World Cup for the second time in a row, and defeated the U.S. 2–1 after extra time in the Round of 16, which saw them reach the quarter-finals, becoming the third African nation to do so. In the quarter-finals, they were eliminated by Uruguay. Ghana were defeated by Uruguay on penalties after Luis Suárez controversially handballed on the goal line deep into extra time, denying Ghana an almost certain winning goal. The penalty that followed, was missed by Asamoah Gyan.[54] Had Ghana won their quarter final they would have become the very first African nation to progress to the semifinals of the world cup. Of the 32 countries that participated in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, FIFA ranked Ghana 7th.[55]

text: 2014: Algeria and Nigeria: 2 African teams to the Round of 16[edit]

text: The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil marked the first time more than one African team went beyond the group stages. While Ghana and Cameroon both collected disappointing results (apart from Ghana's 2–2 draw with later champions Germany, which saw them becoming the only team not to lose against the Germans in the entire tournament) and eventually ended fourth in their group, Ivory Coast were also knocked out in the first round after a last-minute penalty kick against Greece and ended third in Group C, above Japan, whom they had defeated 2–1 in their first match.

text: Africa's pride, however, was saved by both Nigeria and Algeria. The Nigerians kicked off their Group F campaign with a disappointing 0–0 draw against Iran, before eventually defeating debutants Bosnia and Herzegovina 1–0. Stephen Keshi's team went down 3–2 to later finalists Argentina in their final match, leaving them on the brink of elimination, but Iran lost to the Bosnians 3–1 and Nigeria went through to the Round of 16 for the third time in history, after 1998 and 1994.

text: Algeria lost 2–1 to a strong Belgium in their opening match in Group H, a loss which was followed by an unexpected 4–2 victory over the Korean Republic in Porto Alegre in their second match. In their final Group H encounter, a hard-won 1–1 draw with Russia was enough to send the North Africans through to the next round.

text: In the Round of 16, both African teams fell just short to beat the likes of France (Nigeria) and Germany (Algeria), but the fact that two African nations had reached that far, was a reason to be optimistic about the future of African football.

text: During the 2014 edition, Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan became Africa's all-time leading topscorer at the FIFA World Cup, having scored 6 goals in 3 World Cups, thus exceeding Cameroon veteran Roger Milla's 5 goals.

text: 2018: France wins the FIFA World Cup[edit]

text: The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia saw early elimination for Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia who all lost their first two group games. Nigeria also lost their first group game, but got a win in their second game, over Iceland, leaving them with a chance if they could get a result against 2014 finalists Argentina. However, they lost the decisive game, and were eliminated after finishing third in the group.

text: Senegal won their opening game against Poland, and drew their second game against Japan, leaving them needing a draw in their final game against Colombia to be sure of progressing. However, they went down 0–1, and because Japan lost 0–1 as well, Senegal bowed out due to the fair play tiebreaker.

text: France beat Croatia 4-2.

text: African firsts at the World Cup[edit]

text: World Cup Finals[edit]

text:
1934: Egypt, first African country at the World Cup
1934: Abdulrahman Fawzi of Egypt, first African to score at the World Cup, who scored both Egypt's goals in 2–4 loss against Hungary. He netted a third, but was ruled offside.[24]
1974: Kidumu Mantantu of Zaire, first African player to receive a yellow card at the World Cup against Scotland on 14 June 1974.[56]
1974: Mulamba Ndaye of Zaire, first African player to receive a red card at the World Cup against Yugoslavia on 18 June 1974.[32]
1978: Tunisia, first African country to win a match at the World Cup Finals, with 3–1 over Mexico
1978: Abdelmajid Chetali of Tunisia, first African coach at the World Cup Finals
1982: Algeria, first African team to win twice at the group stage (The first team eliminated after winning twice in the group stages of the Fifa World Cup)
1982: FIFA introduced a revised qualification system at subsequent World Cups in which the final two games in each group were played simultaneously after Algeria protesting against its controversial elimination from the group stage caused by the match named Disgrace of Gijón.
1986: Algeria, first African team to qualify twice in a row (1982 and 1986)
1986: Morocco, first African team to reach round of 16
1990: Cameroon, first African team to reach quarter-finals
1990: Magdi Abdelghani of Egypt, first African to score a penalty at the World Cup in the 1–1 draw against the Netherlands
1994: Nigeria scored the biggest African win at the World Cup Finals, 3–0 over Bulgaria
1994: Roger Milla of Cameroon, the oldest player to score at World Cup Finals, aged 42, against Russia. (Russia won the match 6–1)
1998: Youssef Chippo of Morocco. first African to score an own goal at the World Cup, in the 2–2 draw against Norway on 10 June 1998. Two days later, Pierre Issa of South Africa scored an own goal in the 0–3 loss to France.
2010: South Africa, first African country to host the World Cup
2010: Itumeleng Khune of South Africa, first African goalkeeper to receive a red card at the World Cup against Uruguay. (He was the second goalkeeper ever sent off at the World Cup Finals, after Italy's Gianluca Pagliuca at the 1994 FIFA World Cup)
2014: Algeria and Nigeria, first occasion in which two African teams qualified for round of 16
2014: Algeria, first African team to score four goals in one match, in the 4–2 win against South Korea
2014: Stephen Keshi of Nigeria, first African coach to reach round of 16
2018: Essam El-Hadary of Egypt, the oldest player and captain in the history of the World Cup Finals, aged 45 years and 161 days, against Saudi Arabia. (Saudi Arabia won the match 2–1)
2018: Senegal, first team to be eliminated due to the fair play points tiebreaker.
2018: Sofyan Amrabat of Morocco, who came on as a substitute for his brother Nordin Amrabat in the 76th minute in the group match against Iran, is the first player in World Cup history to come in for his brother.[57]

text: World Cup Qualifiers[edit]

text:
1978 WCQ: Tunisia, first African team to use penalties in World Cup Qualification, beating Morocco 4–2 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.[26][27]
2002 WCQ: Abdul Hamid Bassiouny of Egypt, the fastest-ever hat-trick in an "A" international, scored a hat-trick in 177 seconds against Namibia in Alexandria on 13 July 2001 during an 8–2 win by Egypt.[27][58]
2010 WCQ: Algeria, most matches played by an African team to qualify for the World Cup Finals, 13 matches